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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674541">Evanescent Hope</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd'>Raine_Wynd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Highlander: The Series, The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Family, Gen, Hope, How Do I Tag, Immortals, Magic, Rumors, Slice of Life, Temporary Death, The search for Quynh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:00:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy hires the MacLeods to look for Quynh.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia &amp; Quynh | Noriko, Connor MacLeod &amp; Duncan MacLeod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Evanescent Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>They wouldn't leave me alone, damn it. Revised and expanded from both the Twitter and Dreamwidth postings.<br/>Thanks to Morgan Briarwood for the beta.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>1760, off the coast of England</em>
</p><p>Andromache doesn't trust this man who, rumor has it, can dive to the deep and survive, but he's the best chance she has of finding Quynh. Connor MacLeod looks too rough and sounds like no Scot she's ever known, but it's been ten years and he's her last hope. She’d hire a selkie if one existed – and given everything she’s seen in four centuries, she’s not entirely sure they don’t exist. As it was, the stories surrounding Connor MacLeod seem too outlandish to be true, but she knows that within the core of every story, every rumor, a kernel of truth can be found. She’ll take the consistent story of a ship’s captain who paid his people well, refused to carry human cargo, and who seemed to have an uncanny ability to steer through storms, over the stories that said he and his cousin were born of the fey.</p><p>Connor asked for a sizable sum of money, paid in advance, but money is something Andromache has plenty of, and accessing it had been no trouble. Still, she had haggled him down, suspecting he had named a fee meant to dissuade her from such a risky venture. His surprise and pleasure at her haggling had raised her hackles, but he had been respectful once she had established she was no idiot. At least he had bought her story of searching for her sister’s coffin, tossed overboard in a storm. Still, she had not survived so long without being wary.</p><p>Now, standing on the deck of Connor’s ship, she watches as his second-in-command, a tall, brawny man with olive-toned skin and black hair, ties a rope around Connor’s waist. They’re speaking in Gaelic. She doesn’t enlighten them that she understands what they’re saying. Their conversation reveals they’re cousins, and Connor’s cousin is worried about how far down Connor is going, whether the rumor that Andromache is really a witch is true, and how crazy Connor is for once again, following his gut instinct that Andromache needed help only they could provide.</p><p>Connor finally tires of his cousin’s fussing and snaps, “Enough, Duncan. She’s looking for family. You’d do the same.”</p><p>That silences Duncan’s objections. He moves to ensure the end of the rope is securely fastened to a cleat on the deck.</p><p>Connor jumps into the water wearing only trousers. Andromache stares at the water, willing a miracle. She’s hired others over the years; if she couldn’t find Quynh now, she would likely have to wait until someone invented something capable of searching the ocean without risking death. By then, Quynh might have died. Surely, the thing that made them immortal would not last through the thousands of deaths Quynh would suffer from drowning so many times. Andromache cannot imagine surviving through that even as she hopes Quynh has – or if she hasn't, that Quynh's body can be recovered.</p><p>Hours tick by. Just as the sun sets, Duncan calls to the other men to help him pull back the line.</p><p>Connor’s body is lifeless and limp when he’s pulled back on deck. Duncan rushes to his side, fear written on his face and in the way he jostles his cousin’s body.</p><p>“Damn you, Connor,” Duncan swears. “And you call <em>me </em>reckless….”</p><p>For a moment, Andromache swears Connor is dead, but then he rolls over, vomits out seawater, gasps for air, and rises to his feet stiffly, aided by Duncan. Andromache’s experienced death enough times to realize what she’s seeing. For one wild heartbeat, Andromache wonders why she didn’t dream of this man. Maybe he <em>was </em>everything the stories said – but after her ordeal as a witch, Andromache forces herself not to react. She chances a look at the other sailors, who all seem to be abruptly busy with other tasks, and realizes that whatever Connor is, the men under his command will all feign innocence of it. She’ll get nowhere asking, then smiles as she realizes Duncan was genuinely worried about his cousin.</p><p>“You went too deep,” Duncan chides him in Gaelic, but Connor glares him into silence.</p><p>Chastened, Duncan lets go of Connor’s hand and steps back.</p><p>Connor approaches Andromache. “I'm sorry,” he says, “but I couldn’t find anything.” His gaze is full of regret.</p><p>“I'll double your fee,” Andromache starts, certain he would survive the risk, but Connor shakes his head.</p><p>“No, lass, the currents here are too dangerous. They will have swept your sister’s body out to the deep, where even I dare not risk going. As it was, it was difficult to stay on track, and the pressure was intense. I would be a fool to risk it again, expecting the results to change. If it were Duncan down there, he’d want me to live. I trust your sister would want the same.”</p><p>Andromache looks at him. His eyes are full of knowledge, secrets, and compassion. Whatever he is, he’s not of her kind, but close enough, and unwilling to risk tempting fate one more time. The look on his face says this dive was close enough as it was. The hope that Andromache had harbored dies.</p><p>She closes her eyes briefly, old grief wrung anew, and takes a deep breath. “Thank you for trying.”</p><p>He nods once, compassion in his gaze, but offers no platitudes. Andromache’s breath catches and she forces herself to look away, unwilling to let the tears fall in public.</p><p>To her relief, Connor turns and shouts to his men. “To port!”</p><p>Just as they pull into port, Duncan comes to her. “You’ll look for her until you’re dead,” he remarks.</p><p>“And if I choose to do that, what business is it of yours?” Andromache challenges.</p><p>“None,” Duncan replied candidly. “Connor’s leaving for the colonies in a week, if you’re interested in going where the memories aren’t. He knows what it’s like to be mired in grief; it’s why he took this job.”</p><p>Andromache bites her lip, realizing he was offering her a way out. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p>Duncan nods, as if he expected such an answer. “Will you need anything else from us?”</p><p>“No, thank you.” She pauses, then looks at him. “I won’t say anything about what I saw when you pulled your cousin back on deck.”</p><p>“What, that he can’t swim and needs to be hauled up like a fish? Without me, he’d drown.” Duncan’s look dares her to argue. “Best not to gossip; people get superstitious over silly things.”</p><p>Andromache meets Duncan’s gaze. “Yes, yes, they do.” She sees relief flash across his face before he leaves her to attend to the business of docking the ship.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments, kudos, "I liked this!", and keyboard smashes welcome, even when this fic is "old" and I've long since forgotten I wrote it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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